Money is great! It makes the world go around. It motivates some to perform better for a while (in it’s pursuit) but that “superior” performance is usually short lived. In the same respect, threats, barking orders and intimidation have never moved any team that I was on to surpassing goals and moving to new levels of productivity or creativity. In 22 years of leading people, I have found that the essence of motivating team members comes from within. That, if you really want to “reach in and touch” that inner part of a person (to find the piece that motivates, moves them past goals, and vests their loyalty) each person has to be treated as such - a person! To motivate your team and catapult them to the next level, try these 4 “No Fail” strategies - all it costs is a little time and reflection.

Strategy #1: Communication

Since the beginning of time, mankind has used some form of communication to get things done. One would think that with so much practice, communicating would be a perfected art by now. Unfortunately, this is far from the norm. More often, we assume that people are mind readers. We assume they know what is expected, have all the knowledge they need to accomplish the task, and are even able to tell how they are performing. These assumptions can cause enormous problems at all levels of the organization and at all stages of an evolution. Good communicators know that communication is a two way street and that both lanes need to stay open. I remind myself to keep both lanes open by posting this equation in my office: “Q2L + S2S + S2A = GR8 COMMS.” Translated: Quick to Listen plus Slow to Speak plus Slow to Anger equals Great Communication. This equation helps me be actively involved in a conversation so that team members are truly heard. I am sure it will work the same for you. Write it down, post it, and practice it daily. You’ll be surprised at how much of a difference it makes.

Strategy #2: Appreciation

No words carry more weight and motivate team members more than “thank you.” The best part of this strategy is that it doesn’t cost a thing! This may seem like common sense but I don’t think that common sense is all that common. As individuals, who doesn’t like to be appreciated for the hard work that is put into a project? As leaders, why wouldn’t we pass that along to team members so that they know that we notice? Maybe it’s due to the hectic nature of today’s world of work - we get so busy that simple, “common sense” things get lost in the shuffle. Take time out and say thank you - it is the most cost effective reward you can give. Be specific and be genuine, it makes the difference.

Strategy #3: Value

When I am working on a project, I like to know how what I am doing factors into the end result. In short, what value am I providing? What is my contribution? Clear objectives motivate, provide value, and let team members know how they fit into the value chain. A few years back, I had a supervisor that took the time each day to cover the “game plan” for our overall mission. During our daily meetings, he would cover the “why” of what we were doing. This provided me with the bigger picture - I knew my contribution, my value to the end result and I was motivated to exceed the expectation. Value your people by letting them know their value.

Strategy #4: Enjoyment

A team that plays together stays together. I have had very few jobs where I woke up and said, “I can’t wait to do this today!” I have, however, had numerous jobs that I couldn’t wait to go to due to the atmosphere of fun that was created by a great leader or a great team. These were people who knew how to inject an element of humor, play and laughter into the most stressful of situations. Their actions broke down barriers, reduced stress and allowed the team to let go of inhibitions to reach their true potential. I don’t think this is a rare gift, I believe that each of us has the ability to impact the culture positively if we “lighten up” and look for the funnier side of things. The words work and play shouldn’t be opposites, they should be synonyms!

These 4 “No Fail” strategies will help leaders inspire, motivate and build a covenant of trust with your team. Trying them doesn’t cost a penny; they don’t need to be decided upon by a committee; and you should not be “faulted” for employing them (if you are, it’s time to find a new vocation). All it takes is time, reflection and care. Take the risk, step out, and connect with your people today. The return on investing yourself in your people will provide a much greater reward than just the bottom line.

The stench of sweat, mothballs and fear permeated the room as the timer went off and the instructor said, “Go!” It was our final locker inspection for my graduation from boot camp and we all needed to pass in order to move on to the next “adventure.” 80 sweaty, stinky, and desperate men sped to get all the items from their locker folded and stowed within millimeters of what had been given to us as the standard. Through the cloud of anxiety, flurry of dripping sweat, and flying clothes, my Company Commander looked over and said, “LUTZ!? What are you doing!?” Yes, it looked crazy, but from the (what seemed like) thousands of items that needed to be put away, I had taken my skivvies (underwear) and placed them on the top of my head like a hat to keep them out of the way until I was ready to stow them. I replied sheepishly, “Sir, it keeps them out of the way!” He cocked his head, looked at me confused and then said, “Okay, if it works, DO IT!” At that moment, I looked around and saw 80% of my teammates throwing their “tighty whities” on their head in an effort to achieve the goal. We, as a team, passed our inspection and moved to the next challenges that were put before us. Our leader knew that achievement came from empowerment, not exact direction. Certainly, he had trained us, given the method, and told us the end result but he knew that the journey had to be ours to take and ours to own. Moving your team from despair to dreams can be easier than you might think.

Step One: Show Them Most adults learn best through active participation–show them how to do what needs to be done. Model the behavior and attitude you want others to display. Live the values that embody who you are. These are the things that are needed to lay the ground work for success. All too often we, as leaders, assume that because we know something, our team members also know. Showing bridges the gap between what we think and what really is. It eases the stress of the unknown and ensures that each team member is on the same page from the very beginning. Showing is different from exact direction. Showing is coaching; showing is mentoring; showing is being a part of what is going on and signifies an investment in your people and the process.

Step Two: Tell Them As you show them, tell them what it means. What is the expectation? What is the standard? How is it going to look, feel, and be like when we “get there?” Clearly communicate the value of what is being done and how each person factors into the end result. We, as leaders, need to turn the radio dial to WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) and let our team know how what is being done benefits them. We also need to address the “why.” One of my favorite quotes is, “The person that knows how to do a job will always be employed but the person that knows why will always be his boss.” We should tell the “why” so that we are developing those around us to someday take the reins. Be clear, be concise, and tell them!

Step Three: Watch Them Once you have shown them the way and clearly explained the expectation, step back and watch your team come up with new ways to get there. If they start veering off course, give them a little latitude to explore new possibilities and then, if it seems like it’s not going to work, go back to steps one and two to get everyone back on track. Watch them spread their wings as they soar to new possibilities! Watch your team develop personally and professionally as you, gently, guide the way. Watch out! You will be amazed at the places you will go!

No matter where you are at in this process, don’t forget to have fun! You set the pace! If you want to foster a climate of increased creativity, innovation, and teamwork, the responsibility lies with the person in charge. Through active participation, communication, and empowering people to take control, you will create a climate that is high in confidence, resilience, and team satisfaction! So, get out there! Get your team wearing their underwear on their heads!

Relationships parallel houses in the way they are built. Daily, we add (or detract) from the foundation of our relationships - at work and at home. Daily, we lay bricks, reinforce walls, put up barriers, and cover open spaces. How much reflection and planning are you investing into the building of your house? It takes time to figure out how you want your house laid out but even with a great floor plan, if the foundation is weak, your house won’t last long. To bind the foundation of your relationships so that they will survive all of the elements, try a mortar mixture of humor and humanity.

Humor

Humor can improve communication, break down social barriers, spark new creativity, help people deal with an ever changing world, and it can also serve as a positive reference point for when relationships strain. It can have the reverse effect if it is ill suited. Humor, as foundation mortar, should be positive, uplifting and should never be at someone else’s expense. It’s a free expression in finding the funny things in life and a reference point between people when things are difficult. I am luckier than most because my wife, Lara, has a fantastic sense of humor. When we were first married, I worked really close to our small apartment and would run home at lunch so we could eat lunch together and watch the “Price is Right.”

One afternoon she greeted me at the door and said, “I made you some cookies!” She knows I am a sweet junkie and she is a fabulous baker so, yes, I headed straight for the kitchen. When I got to the kitchen she said they were still in the oven on the pan. I opened the oven up, took a look and there were 10 broken Archway cookies on a pan waiting for me. I looked at her confused and she busted up laughing. Anytime our house has been shaken by gale force winds, the humor mortar we have used for 20 years has kept our foundation strong. These humorous reference points allow us to laugh, connect, and deal with the storm. The same is true of the foundations we build at work - positive humor builds, binds, and cements. The second ingredient we need for a the binding of a strong foundation is humanity.

Humanity

Humanity is kindness. It is compassion for others. It’s remembering the platinum rule, “Treat others the way that they want to be treated.” We must meet each person where they are at if we want our mortar mixture to set properly. This, again, takes reflection. It also takes an element of risk - we must open ourselves up if we want others to open up to us.

A few years back, I was stationed with a motivated young man who tackled every task put before him with gusto and a smile. When his performance started to decline, I knew something was wrong so I approached him to find out how things were going and if there was anything I could help. He confided in me that he was having difficulties at home. His wife had been pregnant, miscarried, and they were both having trouble dealing with it. He didn’t know what to do to help her through this emotional hurricane.

I opened up with him and told him that we had been through the same thing twice before we had our first child and that the best thing he could do was “be there.” Be there in mind and spirit. Time passed and things seemed to get better. I would ask him periodically how he was doing and it was always answered with a positive response. A few years passed, we transferred to different places, and then I ran into him one day. As we were talking, he told me how much he appreciated me sharing my own experience with him and how much it helped. He had taken my advice and also shared our story with his wife. His wife had found comfort (and hope) in the fact that others had gone through the same thing and went on to have children with no further incidents. The foundation of our relationship had been permanently bonded through mutual kindness and compassion - through humanity.

The world of today is busy, stressful, and ever changing. These forces can shake the firmest foundation to the point of wondering if the house you are in is going to come crashing down upon you. If you have sealed your foundation with a mortar mixture of humor and humanity, your relationship house will survive the storm and you will be able to continue to build. At home or at work - keep connecting; keep laughing; and keep cementing the foundation of your relationships.

Each team member impacts the culture of an organization (positively or negatively) because emotions pass from person to person. Fifteen years ago, I was working for a particularly mean-spirited manager. He would spend his days yelling, stomping and publicly chastising me (and I was a work horse!). Although he looked at this as a type of training, I looked at it as his way of unfairly wielding his power. We had worked together a little over a year and, as I was moving to a different job, he said; “Chip, I’m really going to miss you - you’re more than a worker, you’re an atmosphere.” Obviously, his words took me by surprise. Not only did I think this manager despised me, I also thought he spent his evenings devising new ways to humiliate me. As time passed, I reflected on his words and came to the conclusion that, “He’s right, I am an atmosphere!” I tried to impact the people around me in a positive manner, find a way to smile or find the “funny thing” in a difficult situation, and give a positive spin on what looked like negative circumstances - which lifted the spirits of my co-workers (even the negative manager). But there are two kinds of atmospheres - carriers and converters. Which kind of atmosphere are you?

Carriers

Carriers clutch onto their negativity and infect, just like the plague, each person they meet in the organization. If they are having a bad day, they are not happy unless they infect you with their problems (in an effort to ensure your day goes as bas as theirs). This transfer of negativity by the carrier must be satisfying to the carrier. So satisfying, i n fact, that they are not content until they have contaminated everyone in their workspace. I am sure you are familiar with this person (or people). Everything can be absolutely fabulous in their life, but they take the one negative and spend 20 minutes telling you how awful they feel because of it. When they are done, you are drained and feel terrible! Yes, you have been infected! This disease is highly contagious and has the potential to spread from person to person quickly. It affects workplace productivity, creativity, teamwork, and morale. What’s the vaccination for the disease? Being a converter!

Converters

Converters are organizational “rays of sunshine” and they do just that! They illuminate the workspace! Converters are skilled in the transformation of negatives i nto positives. You may think that nothing ever goes wrong for the converter because you rarely hear about it. If they do speak of it, it is quickly spun into something positive that can be learned from or built upon for the greater good. Unlike carriers, converters help to boost morale, productivity, creativity and teamwork. Do you want the best news? Even if you don’t “naturally” have a converter attitude, it’s something that can be developed. Here are several approaches to help you convert to being a converter:

Smile - it’s amazing how something so simple can help to change your disposition.

Laugh - get a “humor buddy,” that person that makes you laugh when there’s nothing to laugh about. This person already knows the secret to being a converter. If converters are in short supply, subscribe to a daily joke email list or call me (I’ll be happy to help).

Contribute - take the focus off yourself and do something nice for someone else.

Play - do something that you liked doing as a child (sledding, biking, building with Legos). Have fun!

No matter what your vocation, being a converter will catapult you to the forefront. If your current environment at work is change resistant, negative, unproductive, and you dread going to work, YOU can make the difference. Renovate the atmosphere with your converter attitude. There are no tools required. All that’s necessary are the words “can” and “will.” Your attitude indicates that you “can” and your actions indicate that you “will.” Be a converter! The light you shine will illuminate the darkest organization!

Whenever I teach a class or give a presentation on teamwork, I always give the old adage of “There’s no ‘I’ or ‘U’ in the word TEAM.” Just like clockwork, as if drawn by the laws of physics, someone will shout out, “Yah, but there is a ‘ME’!” I then enthusiastically reply, “YES!” My astute audience member is right, the word “ME” can be found in the word “TEAM” and that is exactly what leaders should be working to do - finding the “ME” in their own teams. Encouraging the “ME” is recognizing the individual effort and contribution that bring diversity and depth to any team endeavor. Every team member brings a unique set of talents, skill, and abilities to the group. If leaders want their teams to really succeed, they need to encourage that uniqueness and remember: “It’s all about the “ME!” Here are some easy ways to encourage the “ME” and catapult your team to the next level:

Serve “ME”

To bring out the “ME” it’s imperative that leaders create an atmosphere of trust and cooperation from serving the team. Team members should know that you are with them every step of the way because of your actions, not your words. If we want the creative lightening that comes from the “ME” of team members, leaders need to show their own. Revealing your own “ME” as a leader models the way for others and demonstrates authenticity. Although letting your inhibitions go and revealing your true “ME” may seem risky, it’s the only way to serve.

Embrace “ME”

It’s not enough to accept diversity; leaders have to embrace diversity. Welcome it with open arms, hug it, squeeze it, and never let it go. We should embrace all facets of diversity - not only the diversity we see, but also (and equally important) the diversity of new thoughts and new ideas. That is at the heart of encouraging the “ME.” Bring those “nay-sayers” to the team; bring the resisters; bring them all - they all have something to contribute. The greater the diversity of the team, the greater the depth of thought and action. Go deep and wide with diversity!

Rewarding “ME”

As important as it is to reward the team as a whole for great work, it’s even more important to acknowledge those who really put all of their “ME” into the effort. It is important to note that there is a delicate balance to maintain in this effort. A leader has to know who has done what, when they did it, how it contributed to the whole and, ABOVE ALL ELSE, not leave any “ME’s” out. This is why we “Serve” the team first. As leaders, we know because we are there. It gives us the depth we need to be specific and authentic in our praise. If you want to see it again, you have to reward it!

The “ME” in team is about investment - leaders and team members investing themselves into the project, process and each other. The job can get done with out it, but it lacks the luster it could have if all put in their “ME’s.” It’s very much like the difference between eating packaged cookies vs. home made. Packaged are good and can get the job done in satisfying a craving but home made have that extra, lip-smacking goodness that keeps people coming back for more. The latter is made with an investment of the individual, sharing their special talents. It was made with “ME.” Invest in your team today and remember, it’s all about “ME!”